| Summary: | "Young people who grow up in foster care face daunting odds when they "age out" of that system as adults. Many of them find themselves without a job and without a home. Before long, many are incarcerated, and others become parents before they are ready. Staying in school is fraught with obstacles, from unaffordable tuition, to episodic housing, to a lack of academic and emotional supports. Whatever their obstacles and opportunities, foster youth are far more likely than other young people to face those obstacles and opportunities alone. Clearly, we are failing these young people...The University of Chicago Law School's Foster Care Project is dedicated to assisting advocates throughout the country to improve the experience of foster youth who are aging out of care...we have focused our attention on the law, asking: What changes in the law would benefit these youth? How can current law be best employed for their benefit? What can courts and lawyers do to assist youth to make a successful transition? ...[Our] conclusion is that the legal process governing foster youths' transition should ensure that foster youths' lives mimic, as closely as possible, the experience of youth growing up in their own families. More specifically, we conclude that the court process can play a crucial role in replicating some important aspects of that experience."--p. [1].
|
|---|
